I could tell that this trial was related to criminal investigation, and what just happened was probably forensic science.
I nodded, following the iron hooks and looking around. On the surface, there were no footprints here at all. Most of them had faded away. So many years had passed. I wondered why the old man wanted me to identify so many sets of footprints. Was this another trap?
I went to the wall, shone my flashlight upwards, and found that several figures were painted on the wall. They depicted a person wielding a sword and a woman practicing swordplay. I guessed these were the ancestor and his wife.
But what did this have to do with my current trial?
I couldn't discern anything for a moment, so I continued towards a nearby pillar. I observed the area again and saw that several holes were hollowed out in the center of the pillar. They were arranged in a chaotic manner, both vertically and horizontally, but upon careful observation, these holes looked like footprints!
Huh? Could it be that He Shenlong's internal energy was already so profound at that time? He could actually leave indentations in stone. That made sense. If the stone could be broken, then the footprints would remain forever.
I squatted in front of the pillar. He Xiaoyu had also noticed the details here and looked at me with delight.
Even though she didn't know criminal investigation or trace evidence, it was enough that I did. I quickly analyzed, "There should be several pillars here, right?"
Then I started counting the number of pillars and the footprints. Given the angle here, if I used Qinggong to step on the iron hooks like He Xiaoyu, I asked her, "How many steps could you take?" She replied, "If it were me, it would probably be five times! That would leave five sets of identical footprints! Adding the ones on the pillars, it should be twelve pairs?"
I shrugged my shoulders with a helpless gesture. The old man seemed somewhat angry for some reason. "I didn't expect you two to cooperate so well! You figured it out just like that. Alright, the second trial has also been passed successfully!"
"Old sir, how many more trials are there? You know, I'm busy with work!"
"Not many, don't worry. Someone from the provincial department is keeping an eye on things!"
"Really? But He Jinghui is also here with me!"
"Do you think our He family only has two experts?"
I dared not answer, fearing the old man might get angry. Then, a pillar not far from us actually moved, and a stone door suddenly appeared before us. It seemed we had to proceed further.
Upon arriving at the third trial site, I found strange paintings all over the place. However, upon closer inspection, they were all depictions of my ancestor in various poses: sitting, standing, even lying down, or practicing swordplay. In the center was a stone statue, which looked exactly like He Shenlong.
I had been here for less than a minute when the old man's voice sounded again: "See? This is a statue of our ancestor. This was sculpted by our He family to commemorate him. It has a long history. Now, what you need to do is analyze the material of the statue, the sculpting technique, and its age."
This was already within the scope of chemistry and physics. The He family was truly interesting, wanting to test my knowledge in all these areas related to being a detective. However, this was normal. After all, they needed to confirm my capabilities before allowing me to leave the He family.
I looked at this special statue. Its design was very ingenious, and the craftsmanship was almost divine, far beyond lifelike. It was simply superb and incredibly awe-inspiring.
I reached out to touch it, but found its surface very warm. I could vaguely feel a fine flow within it, accompanied by a faint clanging sound. Although weak, I could faintly discern the melody within it, which puzzled me. How was this effect achieved?
If the He family had used some special technique during sculpting, they wouldn't have achieved such an effect. This statue was like an exquisite musical instrument that could automatically produce a special melody.
Analyzing the material, if I'm not mistaken, it should be made of high-quality white jade. This material is mineral powder and reacts slowly in cold dilute hydrochloric acid. White jade can be extracted for metal magnesium using coke oven gas, a byproduct of coking engineering, as energy.
Using it for such a statue would be quite fitting. Finally, the age. Judging by the degree of wear and tear, coupled with the effects of air erosion, its age would be…
After reaching a conclusion, I quickly stated all my findings: "A very interesting sculpture. Designed like a musical instrument, it emits a beautiful melody when approached. The material is white jade, and it's very old. If you sold it as an antique, the entire He Family Village could probably live in villas!"
"Ahahaha!! Good. He Sheng, do you know why we don't do that?"
"I wouldn't do that either. Firstly, there's the organization's pursuit. Secondly, you don't covet these external material things, do you? We've been very low-key all these years!"
"That's right. This statue can be considered our He family's greatest treasure. It seems you are indeed capable. This trial is also considered passed!"
Considered passed? Didn't I analyze it perfectly? But since the old man said I passed, I wouldn't quibble with him.
As long as I passed, that was enough. As soon as he finished speaking, another stone door opened. Well, I guess there would be more trials. When would this guy let me leave?
Although I grumbled inwardly, I still had to move forward. He Xiaoyu didn't say anything this time, just patted my shoulder, and we passed through another door into another secret room. At this moment, I heard a more intense gurgling sound of flowing water all around, but I couldn't find any cracks in the walls where water was flowing. It must have been channeled within the walls. The walls here were all white and empty. I wondered how the old man would test us this time.
Fortunately, all these comings and goings didn't take too long, probably less than 20 minutes in total.
If all went smoothly, I could leave here today.
"He Sheng, do you see? What you need to do now is analyze what is the only useful thing in this room!"
"The only useful thing?" I mumbled. He Xiaoyu immediately looked around and added, "Useful thing? What defines useful? That's hard to say. Different objects have different uses for different people."